 Fine
landscape design by Shurcliff and Merrill on the grounds of the Charles River Reservation

 Part of a planned public-private arts center, the first of its kind in the
United States

 Charles River Basin Master Plan calls for preservation for public use but MDC
has committed no major funds for this purpose

Name:Christian Herter Center

Bldg SqFt: 2,520

Lot SqFt: 75 acres (Charles River Reservation)

Address:1175 Soldiers Field Road

Ward:22

Parcel:577

Neighborhood:Allston-Brighton

Zoning:Open Space (OS)

Year Built: 1959

Use:Leased to New England Sports Museum for archival storage

Style:International

Condition:Good

Architect(s):Saltonstall and Morton

Owner:

Metropolitan
District Commission

Historic Certification:National Register eligible

FY99 Building Assessment:N/AFY02 Building Assessment: N/A

FY99 Tax:N/AFY02 Tax: N/A

FY99 Land Assessment:N/AFY02 Land Assessment: N/A

Tax Status:Exempt

Preservation Strategy:

Preserving this mid-20th century structure should capture the imagination of some yet
to be identified group. Because of its relatively small scale, it is unlikely it will
capture the interest of big financial or political players. A feasibility study and/or
think-tank charrette might launch momentum for its re-use and secure its place as a
contributor to Boston's heritage.

Significance:

The Christian Herter Center on the grounds of the Charles River Reservation originally
housed gallery space for the Institute of Contemporary Art. The building is a fine example
of Modernist architecture, employing steel exoskeleton construction with a glass curtain
wall overlooking the Charles River. The landscape design employs a tree-shaded system of
circuitous paths between the building and the river, provides a circular granite seating
area on the front lawn, and sets the building over a man-made moat. Founded in 1936, the
ICA joined forces with the visionary Metropolitan Boston Arts Center in the 1950s to plan
the first public-private theater, visual arts, and music complex in the United States. The
ICA built its gallery using primarily private donations, augmented by state funds and
located on Metropolitan District Commission property. Although the art gallery was the
only permanent building completed as part of the Arts Center, the idea served as a model
for the Lincoln Center in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The ICA
relocated to a larger facility in a renovated historic police station on Boylston Street
in the Back Bay in 1975.

Preservation Challenges:

MDC has leased the Herter Center to the New England Sports Museum since the 1980s,
first as the museums exhibit hall but now relegated to archival storage space.
Currently a draft master plan for the Reservation questions the appropriateness of using
the building for private purposes and calls for its conversion to public use, such as a
nature center, park ranger station, or MDC police substation. Although the draft plan
recognizes the building as a historic property, funds are needed for the preservation and
on-going maintenance of the building and its grounds and for exploring feasibility of
public uses. There reportedly has been some support from the public to demolish the
building to reclaim the site for natural recreational use. The current lease arrangements
make no financial provision for cyclic major repairs.

Neighborhood Context:

The Herter Center is on the grounds of the Charles River Reservation, separated by a
moat from the adjacent Public Theatre, a seasonal outdoor amphitheater. The building is
easily accessible from Soldiers Field Road and is within walking distance of hundreds of
on-site parking spaces.

The New England Sports Museum continues to use the Herter
Center as an archival facility and has no plans or desire to relocate its archives to a
location closer to its Fleet Center museum. The MDC's Master Plan for the Charles River
Basin identifies the Center as a key resource of Herter Park and recommends a new
public use that is self-supporting and can contribute to the building's restoration and
maintenance. Suggested uses include an environmental education program, a MDC Park Ranger
Station, or a café. The MDC, however, is not actively planning the reuse of the Herter
Center at this time.